"Henry is the talent that you dream to have. He has fantastic physique, fantastic technique, a fantastic brain, all built together in one man.

"At the start he was not confident enough but he has gone on to show what a great player he is."

Wenger's likely signings are Schalke's 29-year-old striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar, who is free to leave the Bundesliga club on a free in the summer or for around £6 million in January, and Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace.

Arsenal are hoping to attract the 20-year-old striker from Selhurst Park for £9 million when the transfer window reopens but Palace see Zaha as vital in their push for promotion to the Premier League and will not give him up without a fight.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Huntelaar, who has scored in both of Schalke’s Champions League ties against Arsenal this season, has been tipped for a winter move to north London by former Holland striker Erik Meijer, a TV pundit whose agent Arnold Oosterveer also represents the Holland international.

"According to the information I have, Huntelaar will be gone in the winter,’ Meijer said earlier this month. "Arsenal are the favourites to land him."

However, Schalke general manager Horst Heldt believes that Arsenal will struggle to match Schalke's price.

"There have been no offers or any sign of Klaas-Jan leaving," he told the Sun.

"If someone comes to us six months before the expiry date, and has a lot of money, we will deal with it. From Arsenal circles we hear there is no money anyway."